When the Earth Stands Still 20
by sivy96
Summary: This is a redone version of a story I previously posted in which the Belcher family is forced to face a tragedy which causes Louise to come home from school and take care of the family business. xLouiganx
1. Intro

This is the redo of a story that I had up for a year or so that got a bit of a following. There were a lot of things in the story I went back and wanted to change, even just slightly, and a lot of errors I wanted to correct so I decided to scrap the old version and start from scratch. I hope you enjoy it!

p.s. I'm going to leave the old story on here as is and title this one as a 2.0 if you would like to compare and contrast.


	2. Chapter 1

Louise sat at the counter of Bob's Burgers pouring over the webpage that she had created and nurtured for her family's restaurant. When she initially suggested her ideas for changes to the menu and advertising her parents didn't really take to the idea but luckily her one semester of business classes seemed to have paid off. She ran her hand over the counter thinking about all the times she had sat here in her nineteen years; the meals with her family, the pranks with Gene and Tina, all the antics of the Belcher family had made quite an impact on the place. Louise ran her hand over a portion of counter slightly less faded than the rest remembering the time Bob and Teddy had a contest between their knife and hammer, she smiled as she got lost in thought again trying to decide if her decision to leave college and come home was the right one.

She had managed to convince all of her family and her customers that had become friends that she had failed out of school and come home, honestly though she had been a perfect student. After barely passing high school she realized it was time to get her act together and once she made it to college she worked her ass off; she didn't miss any classes, she put in as much effort as she could, and with the help of a couple of friends and study partners she had straight A's. She couldn't stay there though she missed her family and even the restaurant too much and after everything fell apart she felt obligated to come home and take over the place. Tina had gone to college in New York and gotten a job writing for a magazine immediately after graduating, she outgrew her obsession with Jimmy Jr and finally started steadily dating Josh. They got an apartment in New York together while she rose through the ranks to editor and he worked trying to dance on Broadway, despite all the teasing Louise gave him for it he managed to get his dream. He also managed to immediately break up with Tina after almost 6 years together, she had been focusing on her work hiding under a rock ever since. Gene was a little closer to home, he decided to forego college and went straight to Ferdie Spratt. He finally got his meeting with the board members and started living his dream writing jingles for Spratt's Sweets and some of their subsidiary companies. His job also got helped along by his new father-in-law, he and Courtney got married straight out of high school and the Belcher's had received the call a week or so earlier that they were expecting their first child.

"All kinds of things are going to be wrong with that kid." Louise chuckled to herself.

She glanced out the window and saw that it was dark and gloomy outside and most likely going to storm within a few hours. She never liked days like this as a kid; when it stormed she couldn't go down to the pier looking for beached animals, she couldn't go out riding on her green machine causing trouble through the streets, she couldn't even go down to Wonder Wharf. She hated the gloom for an entirely different reason now though, it just reminded her too much of the day she got the call from her mother. That one phone call changed everything and she found it rolling around in her head again.

_"Mom, what's wrong?" Louise asked nervously. _

_ That was the second or third time Louise had asked Linda the same question only to hear silence at the other end and Louise was starting to seriously panic, she knew that if her mother couldn't find words or even tears then something must be really wrong. _

_ "Mom please, just say something, you're starting to scare me…" Louise sat for a few moments waiting on Linda's response when she finally her a small sob through the receiver, hearing Louise admit that she was afraid was a rare thing and it made what Linda had to tell her even harder as she broke down in tears. Finally she mustered up as much courage as she could to be there for her poor little babies as she had been breaking the news to them one by one. _

_ "Louise, sweetie," Linda started to get choked up as she thought of all the times that Louise had proved to be the spitting image of Bob, they were best friends, "It's your dad baby, he's been at the hospital in Bog Harbor for a few days now and the doctor just came and talked to us-" Linda was cut off by Louise yelling that she would be right there and then silence. Louise sprinted down the hall away from her class and drove 90 the entire way down the interstate with rain pelting the windows of her car until she reached the exit for the hospital._

_ As she ran through the large white lobby to the elevators three hours later Louise heard a soft voice behind her that stopped her in her tracks, "Let's sit and talk for a bit." _

_ Louise turned to face her older sister, it had only been a month since they talked last but at that moment it felt like years. She ran up and hugged Tina catching her sister off guard, she stepped back to take in Tina's appearance; her hair was unkempt and it looked like she had been in the same clothes for a few days, her eyes were red and puffy and instead of wearing the contacts she had adopted in high school she was back in her glasses. Louise was pretty sure that Tina had come down as soon as Linda called as well. _

_ "Damn girl, you look like a mess." Louise tried to break the tension with the small joke but it elicited little more than a smirk from Tina. _

_ "Like I said, let's sit and talk Louise." Tina turned without waiting for a response and started towards an area with chairs and tables. From the looks of it Tina had made it her base camp as it was littered with magazines, books, wrappers, drinks, and electronics. _

_ "Is this all yours?" Tina was preoccupied with clearing the chair next to hers and simply shook her head so Louise continued. "Okay so is Gene here to?" Tina finally sat down and patted the chair next to hers, Louise rolled her eyes as she took a seat._

_ "Mom and Gene have been sitting down here periodically to, there's too much commotion upstairs for everyone to stay in dad's room but none of us want to leave, they're getting lunch now. I'm going to lay everything out that has happened so please just sit and take it in, okay?" Louise nodded knowing better than to fight it when Tina was in her down to business mood, so she just sat and listened. She listened to how Bob had been severely tired and worn down for weeks but had refused to say anything, how he had started to lose weight but everyone brushed it off as him getting healthy, most importantly how while Linda went out for drinks with Gretchen Teddy rushed Bob to the hospital after he collapsed while cooking. _

_ When Louise heard what the doctor had told them that morning she just sat and stared blankly at Tina and then stood up without a word and started towards the elevator. Tina watched as Louise walked away and went back to working on her laptop trying to drown her mind in her work. As the elevator rose to the fourth floor Louise stared at her reflection in the door vaguely aware of the tears running down her face, she wanted to contain herself but she just couldn't. She started to blame herself for what was going wrong, she hadn't been home since she graduated high school and hadn't seen any of her family more than twice in that amount of time. She, Rudy, and Jessica had all packed up the day high school was over and took off on a road trip across the country. They ended up staying gone so long that Louise was only home for a day or two before moving into her dorm, she stood there trying to remember if there had been any signs she missed but she couldn't think of anything, sure Bob seemed a little tired but she figured it was lack of help in the restaurant. Maybe if she had been there she would have been the one to see that something was wrong. _

_ When she reached Bob's room Louise stood frozen in the doorway for what felt like hours before she finally took a deep breath and slowly walked in. As soon as she saw him she immediately broke down, he looked so small lying there asleep hooked to so many monitors. His hair was greying, it seemed like he had lost almost 50 pounds, and there were dark bags under his eyes and they seemed to be sunk into his sockets. Louise stormed out of the room, she never knew how to handle emotion, she was always the strong one in the family the one that didn't break and didn't was always there to whip everyone else into shape when they did. She wasn't sure what to feel at that point, there was a pit in her stomach that she couldn't seem to get rid of, her eyes were burning through the tears that wouldn't end, and she felt like she was spiraling and she couldn't pull it together. What she did know though was that she was pissed, really pissed, it was obvious that Bob had been physically bad for a while but still nobody did anything or said anything, they all just accepted his bullshit excuses and moved on. Linda was always dense but the one time that she needed to be overbearing and vigilant and she couldn't have cared less. All of a sudden she heard Linda's voice coming down the hall talking to Gene and Tina rambling some nonsense about Ginger's fucking car and laughing. _

_ Before she could even think about what she was doing she stormed angrily up to Linda and squared up to her less than a foot from her face, Linda may have had a good three or four inches on Louise but she still seemed to shrink beneath Louise's glare. _

"_What the fuck is wrong with you?" Louise screamed immediately getting the attention of the hospital staff. "Why the hell would you let him get this bad? Why didn't your fucking call me? You know I wouldn't have hesitated, I would have been there in a fucking second to help him! This is your fault. He's in there dying and you're standing out here laughing? You couldn't fucking care less!" With that Louise marched back to Bob's room immediately regretting her actions, she knew deep down that it wasn't Linda's fault and she could still see the pain in Linda's eyes and the tears running down her face as she stood there quietly taking Louise's anger. _

_ As she strode through Bob's door wiping her eyes and trying to compose herself she heard a familiar but weak voice talking to her. "You can't blame her Louise, this isn't her fault. It's life, it happens. This is cancer not the flu, it would have happened anyway." _

_ She stopped in her tracks and looked at her father as he laid there, eyes open staring at his daughter. She saw the tears rolling down his face, it was never an oddity to see Bob cry he was a fairly emotional man, this was different though. She couldn't stop herself as she ran to Bob's bed and grabbed his hand with tears pouring out of her eyes. She dropped to her knees beside him shaking with sobs and she could only get out one word, "Daddy…" _

_ In that moment as she sat there on her knees, her father's frail hand in hers, crying harder than she ever had before she felt three sets of arms wrap around her, she laid her head on her mother's shoulder supported by Tina and Gene and they all sat there for hours until Bob had to be taken away for testing. _

Louise tried to go back to school but she just couldn't, she stayed just long enough to finish her semester so that Bob didn't blame himself and then packed up and moved back home. That was about 8 months ago and ever since she had pretty much taken over the entire restaurant. Gene helped some at first but he couldn't devote much time once he started getting more responsibilities at work, Tina was hours away working, and Linda stayed upstairs 24/7 taking care of Bob. Sometimes Louise could get a break in between the lunch and dinner rushes but other than that it was non-stop running of the restaurant and Louise loved every second of it.


	3. Chapter 2

As Louise sat there remembering that day she got a rare pang of guilt, even though she had apologized to Linda and they had long since moved passed the incident she still regretted it. She wasn't one to make a habit out of feeling bad for her attitude or her angry outbursts but this was special circumstance. None of them were handling Bob's illness very well and they were all doing their best to make the situation easier for each other, Linda finally got her wish of working together as a big family unit. She still felt like this left her and Linda with unresolved issues. Brushing off the guilt again Louise tried to move her thoughts back onto their webpage; when she set up the site it turned out to be a little too hard for the more technologically challenged customers so she was trying to dumb it down a bit. She rolled her eyes and chuckled through herself as she imagined Teddy trying to fumble his way through the site.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of the bell chiming above the door signaling that a customer had walked in.

"Have a seat I'll be right with you." Louise called nonchalantly over her shoulder only to be met with silence.

She didn't think much about it as she assumed that whoever had walked in was one of her regulars that knew she didn't want to chitchat and that they would strike up a conversation with her when she served them, instead of going and sitting at the counter where most of the regulars stayed seated whoever was in the restaurant walked towards her, she assumed it was for the bathroom but instead they stopped right behind her. She was starting the feel uneasy and was about to turn around and gut punch whoever it was when all of a sudden the new-ish pink ears she had gotten to replace her childhood had were ripped off of her head.

"What the hell?!" She exclaimed as she whipped around furious.

As she locked eyes with the thief she smirked at the familiar face. She was taken aback for a minute no matter where they were in life those blue eyes always took her breath away. She smiled at the man in front of her, punched him in the arm, and sat back down at the laptop without a word. She had heard Logan was coming back to town and honestly had been wondering when he would finally stop in and see her. Logan smiled at Louise's back as she worked on the laptop and he secured her hat back on her head. He knew he was the only person that could take it off and put it back on her and walk away still intact.

"It's been what, two years? This is how you treat me four-ears, I'm hurt." He continued smiling as she turned around and hugged him.

They had buried their feud as teenagers and they turned from each other's worst enemies into the best friends you could ever find. She was glad that he was back in town because it seemed like now she finally had someone there for her, even if he had just gotten there it was still an enormous relief to her because he wasn't just anybody, he was the person that knew her best in the entire world. It had been far too long since they had had a decent sparring match, you just couldn't convey it well over text or calls, and she was thoroughly looking forward to it.

"Thanks for the ears Berry Bush." Louise adjusted the ears on her head to a more comfortable position as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Hey now keep that tongue in your mouth or I may just have to take them back, maybe it's time these beauties finally met the dumpster at Pancho's Taco's." He started reaching for her hat again as she swiftly punched him in the gut.

"And keep your hands off my hat or you'll get another one of those, don't forget my mom and I still babysit for Mudflap and Critter, you're never too young to lose your ears dickhead."

He straightened himself up, he had forgotten how hard of a punch she was packing. They stood there for a moment smiling at each other, it seemed like no matter how much time passed Louise couldn't get taller than Logan's shoulder so she always ended up having to look up as far as she could to meet eyes with him. They were staring at each other smiling when he surprised her by pulling her in for another hug she stayed stoic at first, she always wanted to seem strong, she knew she didn't have to with him though so she let herself melt into his chest and wrapped her arms around him it had been quite a while since she had felt comforted. It always took her off guard how close they had managed to get to each other, a decade earlier they had hated each other but now he was the only person that she could be herself around and not have to put on a mask.

He buried his nose into her hat, he wouldn't admit it but he had always loved the way she smelled, once they had gotten past their childish antics against each other he realized that he loved everything about her, they had been so close to finally being together before his life turned upside down. Everything went downhill once his mother got involved and he hated himself for how he let things turn out. He didn't want to think about that though, he had heard about what the Belcher's were going through so all he wanted was to be there for Louise.

"I'm so sorry about everything Lou, everything that happened between us and everything going on with your dad, I'm—" he was cut off quickly as Louise put her hand over his mouth and a finger over hers.

"Have a seat Logan, I'll make you the usual." She immediately turned and started towards the kitchen signaling him towards the counter.

"It's pretty dead in here why don't you make two and join me we can catch up a bit." He settled in the booth as she poked her head through the kitchen window and nodded smiling.

She was so happy he was home, she couldn't keep her mind off of it as she made them barbeque bacon burgers, Logan's favorite and hers to. Little did she know that Logan was thinking the same thing even if it was usually the case, they almost always were on the same train of thought. He had been to college but like Louise he dropped out, the difference was he just didn't want to do the work, he got a halfway decent job, saved up money, and now he was back. He had been waiting on the day he could see her again ever since the day he left, like her though he was too stubborn to admit it. Neither of them ever wanted to confess the way they were feeling to anyone and Logan sure as hell wasn't going to admit to her how good he thought she looked, the years had been kind to her, even with all the added stress.

When they reconnected as teenagers he realized that underneath the bratty little kid she portrayed herself as – and that she partially was – she was someone that was really down to earth that he could get along with, and that was rare. The problem was he didn't just get along with her, he like her, the age difference was just too big to ignore though so he buried his feelings. Now though even though she was going through some major issues he thought they may actually be able to start some form of relationship.

With all the thoughts running through his head he didn't realize he had completely spaced out until he felt something hot hit his cheek and heard Louise talking to him. "Hey man get your head out of the clouds you can't think of bitches 24/7."

She sat down with a chuckle and heard him mutter his breath, "if you only knew four-ears."

She decided to leave the comment alone as she sat down their plates and two beers. Logan picked up the fry she had thrown at him and dropped it on his plate. "You sure you're old enough for beer LouLou?"

He was so busy laughing at his own joke that he barely dodged the fork that came flying at his head.

"Mind your own business Logan." He laughed even harder at her scowl, he wouldn't admit how fucking adorable he thought it was.

"You're aim's getting worse and that barely hurt, you're getting soft." He winked at her as he popped a fry in his mouth.

It was always nearly impossible to tell if Louise was genuinely upset, plotting revenge, or fucking with you it was frequently a mix of all three though. He knew she was the only person running the restaurant and that she was stressed more than she would ever admit so what he really wanted to do was get a few jokes running, maybe help out in the business a bit if she would let him. Louise was unpredictable though, he sat there watching her never-ending scowl wondering if she was going to toss his ass out on the street before he finally watch the mischievous glint appear in her eyes.

"You'll eat those words eventually Logan, now eat your damn burger." She started in on her food as they chatted back and forth catching up.

She filled him in on Bob's attempted recovery and how the restaurant was holding up as well as her sibling's goings-on's and he outlined the events in his life. It had been decided that he would go across the country to go to school but he didn't last long before deciding to drop out, once he was out he got a job at a coffee shop and rented a small apartment but even an efficiency apartment in Washington proved to be too much for him so he gathered his savings and moved back home.

"So are you staying with your parents?" Louise asked in between bites, she knew that Logan had always had issues with his parents, they weren't exactly the closest family.

"Well," Logan replied, "I was planning on it but things didn't work out that way. They told me over the phone that they were doing better, they were "happier" as they put it, as soon as I walked in though I knew they were full of shit. They may be fooling themselves but I can see that they're no different and couple's therapy isn't helping them at all, it won't be long now before they finally call it quits and divorce." Logan shrugged as he finished and nonchalantly went back to his food.

Louise wasn't sure what to say, she understood that Logan had a way different childhood than she did so he was probably better prepared for his parents to separate than she would be but she knew he was still hurting. Louise reached over and put her hand on Logan's arm, "It'll be okay Logan." She said sympathetically.

He appreciated her concern, it was so rare for her to show compassion that you really had to treasure it when she did but he didn't want her to put her energy into being there for him though, this time he was going to be there for her not wrap her up in his family drama once again.

"It's okay four-ears I'm a big boy I'll make it," he chuckled at her "anyway it's not like I'm gonna you know, end up in jail or anything." He winked at her and burst out laughing, Louise couldn't believe he was brining that up, but still couldn't contain her laughter. +


	4. Chapter 3

Two years ago about six months before Logan left for college he and Louise had put aside their differences and become great friends, one night though they took their trouble making ways a bit too far. They didn't bond over normal teenage things like music or sports they bonded over violence and mayhem, alcohol and vandalism, all the things that matter to a couple of teenage delinquents that felt like they were misunderstood by everyone but each other.

That Halloween Logan and Louise had been friends for about a year and were surprised that they were getting along as well as they were. It seemed like it was every night they were sneaking out to hang out and talk, drink, or just generally fuck things up. Louise was happy with their friendship but she was even more pleased with the fact that she had a friend that was freshly 21 who could supply her with all the alcohol she wanted instead of them having to steal it from their parents or pay Mickey to buy it.

"_God there's nothing to do in this boring ass town." Louise slurred after downing a fifth of vodka. _

_Logan shrugged looking off into the distance. "I don't know Lou, there's always something to do if you look hard enough." He stood up unsteadily on his feet taking his bottle of whiskey with him. _

_He heard Louise laughing and stumbling towards him as he face-planted into the sand, asphalt was one thing but getting drunk on the beach never went well for him. He looked up to see Louise holding out her hand to him he grabbed it and attempted to get up but since they were both unstable from the alcohol and he was so much bigger than her she just ended up falling on top of him. They both laid there laughing as she scooted off of him and laid her head on his chest with his arm wrapped around her, they were silent for a bit before finally looking at each other. He couldn't get over how beautiful she looked, her hat had slipped off her head letting her long black hair shine in the moonlight and she always had a glint in her green eyes that made his knees weak. He frequently had to remind himself that she was only 17, it always made him feel bad that he had feelings for her. He shook his head and worked to sit them both up, he slowly got to his feet and then helped her up, with his arm around her shoulders and hers wrapped tightly around his waist they stumbled towards town each with a bottle in their hand to look for something or someone to fuck up. _

"_Oh shit!" Yelled Louise as she grabbed Logan's hand and pulled him to hide behind a car. _

_The sudden movement caused him to trip and drop his whiskey. "Damn it four-ears!" he yelled only for Louise to quickly cover his mouth. _

"_Oh shut up LoganBerry we have more at your place, look." She pointed off into the distance as she literally hopped up and down with excitement but Logan's vision was too blurry to make out more than a person standing at a vehicle and he was too distracted by how cute Louise looked so excited. _

"_What is it?" It had been a while since she had been this pumped over something and it had him genuinely curious. _

"_It's Jimmy Pesto he's putting some shit in that van he stole from me." Louise took another swig of her vodka remembering those days on Family Fracas, she tried so hard to win that van and she hated losing. _

_She also started flashing in and out of all the hell Jimmy had put Bob through, her dad was a good guy he worked hard and didn't deserve that shit. She could make all of this right though. She started laughing as she stared at Pesto's van, he had gone inside and Logan noticed that she was starting to get that crazy look in her eye. This was one of his favorite sides of Louise, she could get completely uninhabited and wild and it was like pure poetry once she decided that someone was going to pay, he was always in awe of her once she put her mind to it that she was going to take someone down. He smiled at her as he took her vodka and gulped it down. _

"_Alright LouLou, you say he's a bad guy and he stole some shit from you, let's fuck this shit up." With that Logan took off out from behind the car and smashed the now empty bottle into Jimmy's windshield, Louise was surprised at first then she was overtaken with excitement, she ran out laughing as she helped her once arch enemy destroy Jimmy Pesto's van. _

_After an hour or two had passed they stood there staring at their handiwork, both of them were starting to sober up. For normal people sobering up to realize that they had just totaled someone's vehicle would be a nightmare, it just made them appreciate their vandalism even more. No window or mirror was left unbroken, almost every inch of the body including the hood and roof were dented in, the tires slashed, the entire thing keyed and covered in graffiti, Pesto wouldn't have been able to pick the thing out of a line up. All of a sudden they saw blue lights coming down the road, they started to run but quickly realized that it was pointless. They had already been seen plus Jimmy had cameras, they looked at each other and smirked slightly before Louise finally spoke. "You ready for this shit Bush?" _

_They both chuckled as the officers walked up to them and they composed themselves embracing the severity of the situation. They decided to immediately confess not wanting to make things worse than they already wore and they were quickly handcuffed and taken to the jail. _

_The night had started simple enough; steal some kid's candy, drink some alcohol, hit a couple of parties. Now all they could do was sit there and look at the shit they were in. Louise looked around the holding cell and out the bars trying to figure out how she was going to get out of this mess, she was being charged with public intoxication and misdemeanor vandalism. Logan had it worse though, she had overheard the deputies and he was getting endangerment of a minor and supplying alcohol for a minor on top of the misdemeanors. All of a sudden a commotion at the door grabbed her attention. _

"_Where is she? Where's my baby? Where's my little Louise?" Louise's first reaction was to scoff and laugh at her mother for the reaction but when the door opened she saw Linda standing there stone cold, silent, and pissed with her arms crossed over her chest. Seriously, was it Bob making all that commotion? At that thought Bob came running into the holding cell, scooped up Louise and started screaming at her for her actions, crying that she was behind bars, and laughing at the look he had seen on Pesto's stupid gorgeous face. _

"What's going on in there?" Logan said tapping Louise on the forehead.

She jumped as he startled her out of her memories, she seemed to be doing that a lot that day. She laughed as she swatted away his hand. "I was just remembering that night."

Logan started laughing as well, that had been one crazy night and plus if it hadn't been for Bob and Linda he didn't know what would have happened to him. Logan was never sure what specifically had happened that night, it was all lost in a haze of liquor, he did remember what had happened in that holding cell though. He had called his parent's and they refused to get him out of jail, they had been putting up with enough of his shit and they were sick of him being involved with Louise, even as a friend, and they were done with him. Sitting there now two years later and grown up he couldn't blame them, while he would never have turned his back on his child like that he still understood that they were beyond pissed, Bob was to but he just understood it better than they did. He started remembering that night as well.

"_Logan." The one word drug Logan out of his stupor and he wasn't sure exactly what to do. He was stuck behind bars facing felony charges and he had no way of making bail. _

_As he looked up and locked eyes with Bob he immediately went cold, the Belcher's weren't exactly on good terms with him they just tolerated him since Louise liked him. He didn't blame them for not being his biggest fans, he had put them through hell for years and then all of a sudden things changed. Not only was it hard to believe but they were anxious of him not only because of his past but because they knew that he and Louise were bound to cause too much trouble together should the friendship last and they were certainly concerned about the age difference and the potential of romance. _

"_Sir." Logan responded as he walked up to the bars, he wanted to be as respectful as possible seeing as he had just gotten Louise put in jail drunk. _

"_Alright Logan, tell me what happened and you better make it good." Logan had never seen Bob as intense as he looked at that moment and it was the one time he had ever been truly scared of him. _

"_I'm not even going to lie, I bought some alcohol and Louise and I were hanging out, we were walking around town and she saw Jimmy Pesto and just got pissed – excuse the language – she told me about how he's been to all of you and I got mad to and after that it's a blur." Logan took a deep breath as he waited for Bob's response. _

_The last thing he expected though was what happened. Bob just started laughing and laughing, he could barely breath he was laughing so hard. "Well Logan don't get me wrong, I'm beyond pissed you've gotten my seventeen year old daughter drunk and in jail, but honestly it happens and I was pretty much the same when I was yall's age." Bob held out his hand and Logan shook it. "Alright Julia," Bob yelled "push the bail through." With that a buzzer sounded and Logan was free from the cell._

The rest of the time was a blur, Logan stayed in the Belcher's basement while his parent's cooled down, Bob used some leverage he had on Jimmy to get the charges dropped and somehow talked the judge into letting Logan simply pay fines instead of serving time, he didn't even get probation. When Logan finally went home his parent's had his things packed and told him he left for college, got his shit together, and they continued to help him or he left in general and never contacted them again. He thought the choice was obvious at the time he wished now though that he had told them to fuck off and went to stay with the Belcher's working in the restaurant. In the few months he stayed with the Belcher's they were the closest thing to family that he had ever had, and he owed them everything for that.

"Well," Logan said standing up with his plate "I'm gonna go take care of this." He grabbed Louise's empty plate and started towards the back.

Louise ran after him, "hey what the hell are you doing? Employees only bitch, read the sign." Logan laughed as she tried to block the door from him, he simply brushed passed her and walked to the dishwasher and started loading it up, she knew he had been back here a thousand times. After all this was where Linda kept the alcohol stashed.

"Accept some help Louise." Logan was calm as he reassured her, "You don't even have to pay me." He winked as he finished up loading they both looked up as they heard the bell ring that someone had walked in and Louise started walking to the door. "I got this if you'll let me," Logan said as he grabbed her shoulder, "You can stay back here for prep and cooking…" Logan sounded hopeful and while she wasn't sure why that was she was pretty sure that she could use a bit of a break, doing everything was exhausting.

"Sure Logan, thanks I uhm, I really appreciate it." Logan squeezed her arm as he walked away to the customer at the counter. Louise was firing up the grill as she listened to the order: Burger of the day, fries, and a beer, simple enough. As Logan was walking to the window to give Louise the order though they both heard the customer start screaming.


	5. Chapter 4

Louise covered her face trying to contain her laughter as she heard Teddy screaming from the dining area, she glanced through window only to see him leaning halfway over the counter with Logan's back pressed to the ice cream machine and a horrified expression on his face, he undoubtedly was convinced that he was about to be thrashed by some sort of maniac.

"Hey Louise, who is this kidder huh? Something going on here? You needed help now huh? What about when I asked Louise? I offered! I told you I was qualified to work here, I helped Bobby before! I could have helped to!" With that he ran out of the building sobbing as Louise walked out of the kitchen laughing.

"Umm regular customer I take it?" Logan asked looking incredibly uncomfortable.

"Well yeah," Louise replied as she started wiping down the counter "that's Teddy, he's been in here pretty much every day since we opened, our most loyal customer –aside from a few secret trips to Pesto's- and he's self-proclaimed himself dad's best friend." Louise started to zone out as she was wiping down the counter and Logan assumed she was lost in thought about Bob again, after a few minutes of silence he threw a crumpled up napkin at her to grab her attention. She shook her head as she started talking again. "Anyway I'm about to start closing up so you can go ahead and head out if you want." She moved on to the other side of the counter as she started emptying the coffee pot.

"Well if you'd prefer four-ears I could stay and help you clean up, I'm sure I could get done way faster than you could." Logan said with a wink.

Louise couldn't contain herself as she watched it dawn on Logan how he had phrased that. "I'm not sure that's exactly a compliment to yourself Logan, most women don't like a man that finishes first." She giggled as she watched the blood rush to his face but she decided to put him out of his misery. "However, I would really enjoy the help and I guess your company wouldn't be that terrible either."

Logan smiled as he walked into the back and grabbed a broom he decided that he wouldn't mind her company either, not one bit. His thoughts shifted back to the night before he left to college, the last day that he had seen Louise.

_"I don't see why you have to leave Logan." Louise didn't hold it against him that he was leaving she knew how Cynthia was though. "Couldn't you just stay here? You know my parents don't get the basement sprayed for infestations often." _

_ They both laughed at her subtle stab as they settled in on the couch that had been moved down to the basement for Logan to sleep on. They had been sitting around drinking and smoking weed for hours trying to soak up the last of their time together. He wrapped his arm around her as he answered her. "You know I wish I could LouLou but I can't live off of your parents forever." He took a long hit off of their pipe before passing it over. He always liked smoking with her because it knocked down her hard-ass exterior she was always more of herself more sensitive and willing to open herself up. He watched her as she took a drag, he couldn't quit watching her lips wrapped around the pipe, he shook he head trying to get rid of the thoughts. _

_ She settled down into his chest and huffed. "They wouldn't care Logan, they love you. I just wish you could stay." Now that he was leaving she was much more aware of the fact that he wasn't only her best friend but basically her only friend. Andy and Ollie were still close to her but they didn't advertise it so they didn't deal with their dad's shit and her delinquent streak had caused Rudy to abandon her after she got them both expelled for putting laxatives in Mr. Frond's coffee. Louise and Logan were trying to just enjoy their last night together they were listening to music as they got in a deep conversation about life, whether they were going to stay in touch, their true thoughts on school, relationships, and family. They discussed religious and political views, moral compasses, and everything in between. _

_As morning came they were laying on the couch in their usual way drinking whiskey, smoking a bowl, and laying on each other as they stared at the glow paint they had put on the ceiling. _

_Logan sighed as he checked his phone and nudged Louise, he knew very well that she was awake she was just trying to avoid what he was saying as she pushed her face into his chest. "It's six Louise, I've got to be on a plane at nine." He listened for something but all he heard was her soft breathing, he started gently poking her on the side as she squirmed. _

"_How much longer can you stay?" He could hear the sadness in her voice and it broke his heart. He did the math in his head and figured out exactly how late he could get there and piss off Cynthia. _

"_Well I guess about another hour since I'm already packed up." He looked down and saw her staring at him and they laid like that for a while, just staring at each other. He still wasn't sure exactly how it happened but they found themselves laying together locked in a deep kiss and neither of them could say how long it lasted. Once the hour had come and gone they stood there at the doorway of the restaurant hugging each other as tight as they could. Finally Cynthia came driving down the street and Logan realized he had been there much later than he intended as she sat there in front of them without a word. He got in the car and waved as they drove away. _

"_You do realize that she's jailbait don't you Logan?" his mother was never great at being subtle but to his surprise there was a faint hint of compassion mixed in with her snide tone. _

"_I know mom. She's just my best friend." With that they didn't say another word until he was boarding the plane on his way to his new life. _

He and Louise never lost touch but texting and calling just wasn't the same. He wasn't sure if she even remembered the kiss, he did though, he remembered every second of it and he thought about it all the time. All he could do right now though was be there for her, be her best friend again, be her confidant, do everything in his power to be all she could ever need or want.

"Alright Loganberry, restaurants all done." Louise said pulling him out of his thoughts, he had gone on autopilot for the last half-hour or so helping her. "Thanks Logan, it was a lot easier having help for once."

Logan smiled down at her as he replied. "No problem four-ears, just pay me."

"What?" Louise asked shocked "You said I didn't have to pay you, you know I can't afford to do that." Logan laughed even though he felt bad that she was panicking so bad he couldn't believe she thought he was going back on his word and asking for money.

"I don't want your cash Louise, I want you to come hang out with me tonight, like the old days." Louise stared at him slightly surprised, though she wasn't sure why she should have seen it coming.

She thought about his request for a minute, usually after work she went right upstairs to give Linda a break and take care of Bob. She had never really considered doing anything else until tonight but now that she was she realized that she really could use a break and going out like the old days and blowing off steam really did sound good. "Alright Logan, let's run upstairs first and make sure mom's good for me to go out."

They went outside and locked up the restaurant and started upstairs to see Mother and Father Belcher. Logan was internally celebrating that he had gotten her to agree to go out, he thought it was going to be a lot more difficult. He was also excited and yet anxious to see Mr. and Mrs. Belcher, even though they seemed to like him in the end they still had a rough history and it had been years since they had even spoken.


	6. Chapter 5

Bob laid in best staring at the ceiling that was all he could really do these days, he wasn't really getting worse but he definitely wasn't getting any better. The upside to the whole situation was that they had caught his cancer quick enough that it hadn't spread past his prostrate, he was thinking back to the beginning again kicking himself for not just telling Linda that he felt like something was wrong, maybe they would have caught it sooner but he put it off so long he was already up to stage 3. He was receiving aggressive external radiation treatments but he wasn't hopeful, who would be in the situation he was in? Even if no one would talk to him he had a decent idea of their situation, he knew what shape the restaurant was in when he got sick and because of his mom he had an idea on the cost of treatment. He knew he had almost bankrupted the restaurant, he had cost Linda her sanity, whether she would admit it or not he knew that he had cost Louise his schooling. She may have hid it well but he knew his angel dust. He chuckled quietly at the thought, he never was good with pet names. Speaking of the devil he heard Louise coming in to take Linda's shift. He tried to convince them at first that they didn't have to alter their lives around him but he was so weak that he wasn't able to fight it anymore.

"Hey Mrs. Belcher, long time no see." Bob's ears perked up at the odd voice in the living room, who the hell was it? Some guy had come in with Louise. Bob heard his wife respond surprised yet happy. "Oh my God Logan, it's been so long! How are you?"

Bob groaned to himself. "Ugh of course it's that guy." Logan was decent enough but he had a bad streak and Bob was never able to fully trust him, he knew how close he and Louise had been though and it crossed his mind that maybe he would be able to bring some light back to her life.

"Booooooooooob I don't know if we trust that guy." Bob said to himself in a high pitched voice holding up his pill bottle.

"I know Mr. Pills but we have to trust my little girl." Bob replied in his own deep voice.

"Okay Bob." The pills responded not sounding quite sure. Bob had tuned out of the conversation in the living room while Logan and Linda caught up when all of a sudden he heard Louise ask, as she did every night, how Bob was doing and if she should get anything for him. Linda replied with her same response, he's the same and he's good, Louise sounded like she had more to say though and Bob's ears perked again.

"Well mom, if you don't need anything then I may go hang out with Logan for a few hours, I'll have my cell the whole time so if you need anything then don't hesitate to call." Linda started her usual teasing at Louise about hanging out with a Boy but Bob knew that Linda was thrilled, she had been begging Louise for months to reconnect with her old friends but this was the first time Louise had shown any interest. After a while Gene and Tina both went back to their own lives but Louise just couldn't let go of everything that had happened and she would never know how grateful Bob and Linda felt to have her there with them.

"I'm gonna run in and check on dad before I go." He could hear the forced exasperation in Louise's voice and he could tell that she was smiling she had grown to love and appreciate her mother's teasing. Bob heard Louise's steps heading towards the door, he wanted to talk with her but he also didn't want to ruin her night since their conversations always ended up being about his illness or bills or other stressful things and he didn't want that on her mind right then so he closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep. He heard the door open and felt Louise sit on the bed next to him and put her hand on his arm. "I love you daddy, I'll see you in the morning." She planted a kiss on his forehead and as she started out of the room he let a small smile fall across his face as he actually drifted off to sleep.

Linda sat on the couch watching Louise and Logan stare at each other, she knew how Bob felt about Logan but she had always had a soft spot for him and figured him being back would be good for Louise. "Alright you two," Linda started sounding stern "now have fun but I'm not bailing anyone out of jail tonight, okay?" Linda laughed as she walked towards the bedroom leaving the two on their own. As she opened her door she saw Bob fast asleep, he looked weak and ashen his eye sockets obviously sunken in even in his sleep, he had lost a significant amount of weight and barely ate anything anymore. She kicked herself once again just like every night for not seeing that he was sick earlier. She gave him a quick kiss as she laid down next to him and settled in for then night with a book.

Louise left Logan sitting in the living room as she ran towards her room to change, it had been so long since she had hung out with someone that she wasn't even sure what to wear. She finally settled on a pair of comfortable jeans with pink converse, a blue tank top, and her cropped leather jacket. She pulled her hair out of her signature bunny ears and pig tails quickly ran a brush through it and threw on her black beanie. With a quick brush of Chap Stick and a little eyeliner she glanced in the mirror and appreciated what she saw. Louise was always someone that was happy with her appearance and tonight was no exception, she may not have gotten much taller but she was wholly aware that she had more than filled out in all the right places. She gave herself one last glance before heading out to Logan.

When she left her room though Logan was nowhere to be found. She checked the kitchen, the bathroom, even the spare bedrooms before finally heading downstairs. Once she reached the street she quickly spotted Logan leaned against the building smoking a cigarette.

"Didn't you know that those will kill you?" Louise giggled as she reached up and snatched the almost full cigarette from Logan's lips. "Just looking out for you." She said gesturing towards him with the cigarette before walking away and taking a long drag. Logan smiled as he lit another cigarette and chased after her towards Wonder Wharf, he had a pretty good idea of where she was going. It was already well past midnight and almost everything was closed, the only place open was the park near the wharf and, of course, the beach.

Two years earlier they had spent every night wandering around town after hours it felt more like nostalgia than a habit. He found himself reminiscing on all the times they spent walking the streets sharing cigarettes and sipping alcohol, lying on the beach, or sitting on the swings. They talked about all of their problems, their goals, how they felt misunderstood by their families and people their ages. They had both grown up a lot since then but Logan still hoped that being back here would help her loosen up a bit. They finished their cigarettes as they reached the end of the pier.

Louise stared up at the sky, this was the only time that you could see the stars and it was amazing, the wharf had shut down and the businesses closed making everything go quite for just a while, it was the only place she could think. All of a sudden Louise felt Logan tap her on the shoulder with something and when she turned she saw him holding out a bottle of her favorite liquor, she wasn't sure how he got it down there without her noticing but she was glad. She hadn't truly let go and been young ever since Bob got sick and she wasn't going to lie, she missed it. She took the bottle from Logan and started sipping it slowly, not sure if her alcohol tolerance was still any good Logan however had his own bottle and started chugging it, just like the old days.

They worked their way back down to the beach and laid down in the sand after casting their jackets and valuables to the side. They laid in the sand, stared at the stars, puffed cigarettes, and sipped vodka. It had been so long since Louise had felt this relaxed and she was soaking up every second of it. She was so exhausted because of all of her responsibilities that she started drifting off to sleep as she stared at the stars.

"Oh no you don't!" Logan slurred at Louise as he noticed her dozing off, suddenly in his slightly drunk state he got an idea. He started chuckling as he stood up and wobbled over to Louise and lifted her up.

"What the fuck are you doing fuckface?" Louise screamed as Logan housed her off the ground causing her to drop both her liquor and her cigarette. Logan didn't respond though, he just laughed as he tossed her over his shoulder and started towards the ocean. The entire walk was maybe fifty feet or so but in his intoxication it felt like miles, he was determined though and the constant screaming and cursing coming from Louise didn't deter him a bit. As he reached the edge of the water he stopped to talk to Louise for a second.

"Hold your breath and shut your eyes LouLou, this is happening." He laughed as he heard her inhale deeply and jumped throwing both of them into the water. It was a warm summer night but the water was still freezing and immediately woke Louise up as she pushed through the water and started swinging at Logan. She couldn't hide it though, it was just as funny as it was refreshing. They quickly decided that they were both too close to drunk to be in the water and linked arms as they made their way back to the shore, they each grabbed their bottle of liquor and laid down in the sand next to each other.

Logan grabbed his cigarettes and lit one he almost instantly felt Louise take it from his mouth though and looked over to see her smoking it herself, he couldn't help but to laugh. She looked absolutely breathtaking. Her long hair was soaking wet sticking to her skin, her clothes were clinging to her, she was flushed from the water he couldn't stop staring at her. She looked over and locked eyes with him, her cheeks immediately getting flushed.

"What are you looking at?" Her voice was small and slightly shaky as she shivered still recovering from the water. He didn't say anything but as he thought about it he realized that it was a good opportunity to get a little closer to her, he stretched out he arm to her and watched as her cheeks burned even redder as she scooted over and laid her head on his chest.

"Gotta stay warm," Logan started "I don't wanna have to take care of your sick ass all week." He laughed as he took the cigarette from her. They laid there silently as they passed the cigarette back and forth and finishing their drinks. He looked down at her and saw her staring up at the stars, she looked just like she had two years ago but more mature. Everything that had happened had really made an impact on her yet she handled it all without any complaint and with more grace than anyone he knew ever could have. Logan couldn't take it anymore, he knew it was a mistake and that it probably had a lot to do with the alcohol but he just couldn't control himself anymore. He leaned into Louise and gave her a long passionate kiss.


	7. Chapter 6

Louise couldn't process what the hell was happening, she wasn't used to this feeling – the desire to be near another person – the only people she had ever genuinely wanted to be around were her family and even that was subjective to timing. All she could think of now though was Logan, she couldn't believe that she was here with him now. She was starting to lose herself laying with him in the dark all she could feel was his lips on hers, his arm wrapped around her, his body pressed against hers, and the sand beneath her. Her mind was clouded by the alcohol and she couldn't decide what she wanted, she wanted to push him away but more than anything wanted to be close to him, she started thinking that maybe she should just slap him but if it didn't work with Boo-Boo when she was nine it probably wouldn't work with Logan. She knew they had kissed once before but they both just ignored it, he left right afterwards and it was never mentioned again. Wasn't that supposed to be the end of it? They were there on the beach though wrapped up together and they had come a full fucking circle, drunk and making moves on each other. Her mind wouldn't stop moving, she was scared and exhilarated and confused and she was feeling a million other emotions. She couldn't handle what was happening. Not right then.

Louise quickly broke the kiss and jumped to her feet startling Logan and almost falling back down in the process. "Fuck, Louise are you okay?" Logan asked catching her before she hit the ground. "Hey come on Lou, talk to me, are you okay?" They stood there staring into each other's eyes as she swayed slightly she had become more than aware of how close they were and she decided that she needed to leave. She pried herself from his arms, shook her head, grabbed her phone, and half stumbled half ran away in a drunken haze. Logan watched her as she left and followed her, he knew that trying to talk to her would be pointless but he wanted to make sure that she got home. He watched as she stumbled through her front door and then once he saw a light come on upstairs he went back to the beach, grabbed their things, and started towards his motel.

Louise flinched as the door slammed into the wall, she had flung it open way harder than she intended to, she giggled as she shushed the door. Trying to stand on her own two feet was proving to be harder than trying to sneak whiskey into Biology class had been, she tried taking the steps one at a time but damn it was difficult. After her third time stumbling and falling back down to the bottom step Louise resolved to just spend the night there and it was at that moment she saw a light come on above her and heard movement. "Helllooooo, who's there?" Louise giggled to herself as she saw her mother peeking down the stairs. Linda was obviously scared and was, for some reason, holding a bottle of wine. Louise wasn't entirely sure if the bottle was for self-defense or if Linda was already a bottle deep herself but it was probably both.

"Down here mom." Louise slurred as she waved her hand in the air, her head resting on the steps. Linda hurried down the stairs and supported Louise all the way up to the living room where they both flopped onto the couch.

"Young lady, everyone needs a drink now and then but tell me that damn boy didn't leave you on the bottom of the stairs. Oh I swear I'll punch him, I'll punch him right in the face." Linda stood there looking incredibly concerned brandishing her fist in the air.

Louise started laughing as she stared at her mother's stern face it was always funny when Linda decided to threaten people with violence, Logan didn't deserve it though and Louise didn't want her pissed at him. "No mom, it's okay, I umm I ran away from him."

"Whaaaaaaaat?" Linda involuntarily screeched, she covered her mouth quickly since she was trying to avoid waking up Bob, she didn't know he was already awake though and listening intently from the bedroom.

Bob heard someone get up he was assuming it was Louise since the person was stumbling, throughout her teenage years he became pretty accustomed to the sound of her coming home drunk. Suddenly Linda was speaking again "Well why don't you go ahead and tell me why and we can talk about it and decide if running away was the right thing." Bob chuckled at Linda's attempt she was always trying to get information on the kids' lives Tina and Gene usually gave in but Louise was a rock who rarely ever wanted her mom's advice so he figured Lin was fighting a losing battle. He realized he was wrong though as he heard Louise sigh and then just start talking as fast as she could.

"Ugh he kissed me mom, we hung out and we had a great time and then he kissed me, and I hated it because I liked it, I know you both hate him but I don't, I like him but I can't do anything about it, I don't have time I need to be here taking care of the restaurant then I need to be here taking care of dad, that's what matters, please drop it mom."

He heard Louise's voice catch at her last phrase and her bedroom door slam, he knew that Linda would be in the kitchen drinking for a while so he just laid there staring at the ceiling. He knew that Louise had given up everything for him, he had always suspected that she loved him but with Louise it was always hard to tell. Hearing her open up to her mother and hearing her break knowing she had felt the need to go out and get drunk again it gave him resolve and a beacon of hope that he didn't know he had in him. He had to beat the cancer, he had to turn the tables on this. He couldn't have his little girl losing yet another opportunity for him. Lying in bed moping all day and night wasn't helping, he needed to get his strength up, he needed to be up and doing things, he needed to figure out a way to take some of this burden off of his family's shoulders. He need – no – he was going to beat it.


	8. Chapter 7

Louise sat at her dressing staring at herself in the mirror, her hair was still damp from the sea water and while she wasn't completely drunk anymore she still felt pretty tipsy. She kept trying and failing to make sense of everything that had happened in the last few hours, she finally decided she would just take a shower to try and reclaim herself. As she was tiptoeing into the bathroom Louise peeked in the kitchen where her mother was working on her second or third bottle of wine and talking to someone on the phone, Louise figured it was probably Ginger but she couldn't muster up enough or a thought process to really care all she knew was that she didn't feel like dealing with her mother's questions at that moment.

The water was searing hot against her skin, just the way Louise like it. As she scrubbed at the sand and seawater in her hair all she could think of was Logan's kiss, she couldn't figure out if it meant anything to her or not. She sat under the water until it turned cold trying to figure things out she finally wrapped her hair in a towel threw on her robe and went to her room. She sat down on her bed even though she hadn't figured anything out she fell into a dreamless sleep within minutes.

Louise woke up the next morning with the sun in her eyes, it took her a minute to realize where she was and to at least partially remember everything from the night before. It had been a really long time since she had drank that much and her hangover was determined to remind her of it. As she collected herself a bit she realized that the sun was a lot higher than it should have been, she quickly jumped up and checked her phone. She felt horrible the restaurant should have opened hours earlier, she had an unopened message from Logan but decided she would deal with it later, she threw on the first clothes she found, put her hair in a bun, and sprinted downstairs. She couldn't believe she had been this irresponsible after one night of going out, she hadn't told her parents but the restaurant was already in trouble, Bob's insurance wasn't covering the bulk of his treatments and their savings were completely gone. Louise had only managed to get by on rent this long because Mr. Fischoeder was giving her breaks and letting her pay when she could out of sympathy, now on top of everything else she had lost hours' worth of business to stay out late with Logan.

As she rounded the small space between the apartment's front door and the restaurant's Louise stopped dead in her tracks, she had assumed that maybe just maybe Linda would have opened the restaurant, she never expected this though. She had been terrified that she would never see Bob in his apron again, that she wouldn't run through the glass door and see him standing behind the counter, or flipping burgers on the grill. She had spent almost a year in the restaurant by herself missing the smell of her father's clone and the cheesy burger of the day puns that he came up with. She was afraid that she would never see him rolling his eyes as Teddy aimlessly talked about the stupidest things. There he was though. She felt her eyes stinging as she looked in through the window and saw Bob leaning on his can while everyone stood around him, a smile on every person's face, as Bob passed out plate after plate with the Burger of the Day.

She was frozen in place staring through the window she wasn't sure how to react. The restaurant wasn't exactly overflowing like when he was stuck to the toilet but Bob being back had apparently inspired quite the turn out. She wanted to run in, hug her dad, apologize to him for being so late that he had to get out of bed and open the restaurant. She wanted to cry and laugh and she was so overwhelmed that honestly she just wanted to punch someone, she couldn't bring herself to walk inside though, she knew her emotions were going to overtake her and she didn't want anyone to see that. She jumped slightly as she heard footsteps coming up beside her, she didn't have to turn to see who it was though since she already knew, he hadn't changed that damn cologne in four years.

"Wow," Logan started "out of all the scenarios that ran through my head walking down here this was not something that I expected." He stood there rocking back and forth waiting on Louise to say something, anything. He knew her well enough to know that she was almost definitely having issues dealing with all of this and while he wanted to help he wasn't sure how, after a few minutes he decided that in his experience acting on instinct was almost always the best thing to do with Louise. She saw something move next to her and looked down, Logan had his hand held out and as always she seemed to know exactly what he was thinking, he was basically the only person that knew exactly when she needed someone to lean on. She gave him a small sweet smile and took his hand as he led her into the restaurant to see her family. Louise wanted to pull away from him and keep everything that had happened a secret but that was just for simplicity, right now though she knew that he was probably the only person around that could understand how to deal with her complex emotions and she was anxious to gauge exactly how her family was going to feel about what seemed to be their budding relationship.

When the bell chimed that they had entered the restaurant everyone turned to look at them Louise looked around at everyone surprised at all of the familiar faces that Bob had drawn in. Teddy and Mort held their usual stools at the counter with Marshmallow and her friends, Louise glanced around and saw that even Fischoeder had come out for Bob's appearance. She started to panic, she was breaking down and there were way to many people there to see it, she tried to pull away from Logan determined to take off back outside and run to her room but the jackass wouldn't let go of her hand. She looked up at him and he immediately got lost in her eyes, he could see her internally pleading to him to let her go and as she looked up at him his eyes said everything she needed to hear; he was there for her, and she couldn't run from everyone forever. As Logan finally let go of her hand he wrapped his arm tightly around her shoulder and she secured her arm around his waist clinging onto him as tight as she could, he smiled slightly as he heard her let out a sigh of relief as he squeezed her closer to him and they started towards the counter.

A slight hush fell over the restaurant and Louise felt everyone's eyes settle on her, Bob already knew what it was about, nobody quite knew how Louise was going to react seeing as she had always been the pure definition of unpredictability. He turned from his customers to face his youngest child, everyone knew how hard Louise had been working to keep the business floating and taking care of Bob. While she had obtained the reputation of a trouble maker as a child she had turned into a beloved pillar of the community as a young woman and they all wanted to extend their support to her as much as they could. Bob couldn't help but tear up as he looked at her now under the lights of the restaurant, they gave him a much better look than the lamp in his room. She looked so tired, it wasn't just a hangover though he was sure that it must have been a pretty bad one, she had sunk every part of herself and everything she had into keeping the family going when it was thrust on her with no warning and he couldn't help but admire her for it. He took in the sight of Louise and Logan together and realized that maybe, just maybe, this could be a good thing. Louise needed someone to be her rock, she had given up everything and it was time she get something back.


	9. Chapter 8

Bob slowly limped out from behind the counter and walked up to the two that appeared to be a happy couple, Louise looked around the room frantically she knew that she was about to lose it and she desperate not to but then it happened. Bob simply held out his arms and in a second flat she was the weeping little girl that needed her daddy, the little girl that she had never really been before. The patrons in the restaurant knew the family well, and they knew that Louise didn't want them to see that. One by one they all got up patted Louise and Bob as they sat embracing each other and crying until the only ones left were Teddy, Logan, and the rest of the Belcher's. She wasn't sure exactly when Gene and Tina had gotten there but she was glad that they were.

Sappy moments weren't really Louise's cup of tea so she did everything she could to quickly pull herself together and Bob did the same. "Dad I'm so sorry."

Bob stared at Louise for a minute looking confused. "For what?"

Louise and Logan looked at each other for a moment curious about if Bob was unaware what had happened the night before, Bob was starting to get a bit tired so he sat down in a booth before turning his attention to Logan. "Well Logan, it's been a couple of years. I'm curious, how come every time you pop up my daughter comes home drunk?" Logan stood there stammering trying to form words while the rest of the family laughed as quietly as they could, they knew that Bob was just teasing him. "Don't worry son, she needs the break, just keep her safe." Bob stood up and patted Logan's shoulder as he began to walk away and gave Louise a kiss on the forehead. He was starting to get emotional again but knew that it wasn't the right time for it. He went to the kitchen to reacquaint himself with the appliances and make sure they missed him while he left Lin and the kids to give Louise some good news and some bad news.

"I always said you two would get married!" Louise jumped at the statement, she hadn't realized that she had started leaning into Logan again and quickly pulled away from him.

"What the fuck Gene?" She yelled while punching her brother in the arm "We aren't getting married!" Louise looked panicked as she frantically yelled at Gene, Logan found it pretty amusing though and decided to step in on teasing her.

"What's the matter Lou, don't wanna take my last name?" He asked with a wink. Louise looked horrified as he laughed knowing that she hated talking about personal things, especially in front of her family.

"Louise we gotta have a chat." She looked over at her brother as he spoke to her, he had changed quite a bit over the years; he had slimmed down a lot, even gotten a bit of muscle, he had also grown to be a few inches taller than Bob. Louise chuckled at him, she was so happy to have her brother back home. "What are you laughing at? Is there food on my shirt?" Gene looked down and then just stared at Louise confused.

She broke out into a fit of laughter before she finally responded. "No food on your shirt, I'm just glad that my large bro is home." Gene smiled as he pulled Louise into a hug, they were so rare but she seemed to be giving them out like hotcakes. He decided that it was the perfect time to drop the news to her.

"Good because I'm moving back home, Tina and I are taking time from work and moving back so that you can get a break, we really dropped the ball. We turned our backs on the family. We let you down. We're sorry Louise." He stared down at the floor as he talked to her and she felt her eyes start to sting.

She stood there trying to compose herself and taking in his words and then it hit her. "Wait, what about your pregnant wife?" She had barely finished the sentence before Courtney came bursting into the restaurant, bags in hand and screamed, "I'm hoooooooooome."

Louise stood there awestruck, she had never exactly warmed up to Courtney and now she was apparently living with her and she wasn't exactly sure if that was going to work out. "Okay guys, you have no idea how much I appreciate that but you don't have to do this.

"Yes we do Louise." Tina stepped up to her sister as she put her hand on her shoulder, "now grab your…friend? Go hang out and have a good day." With that Tina and Gene started pushing Logan and Louise until they fell out of the restaurant door. They stood there laughing as Linda poked her head out of the door, "be careful and remember no day drinking!"

Louise and Logan sat there staring at each other laughing. "Well you certainly have a supportive family." Logan finally said. "Of course as soon as I get to town with the intention of helping you your entire family steps up and makes me useless." He jokingly rolled his eyes as they both laughed a little more.

"Trust me Logan my family showing up in no way makes you useless, who else is going to pick endless fights with me, and steal my ears, and give me alcohol, and be my best friend." Louise looked down at the sidewalk blushing slightly as she spoke. She finally looked up at him as the events from the night before came rushing back to her and she wasn't exactly sure what to say.

Finally Logan broke the silence, "I tried messaging you this morning, your jacket and cigarettes are at my motel room, I forgot to grab them." Louise just sat there trying to remember when she lost her things so Logan finally continued, "we can go get them if you want."

She thought about it for a minute as it dawned on her that if they hung out around town all day then she was going to get bombarded with questions and she just wasn't ready for that. "Sure Logan let's go to your room." She smiled at him as he gave him a relieved look. "Can we just hang out there for the day? I don't want to face the town today." He smiled back at her and nodded as he grabbed her hand and started leading her down the street.


	10. Chapter 9

The Sand Flea wasn't as run down as it had used to be since it had gotten a new manager a few years beforehand and it got turned into a fairly respectable motel. Louise followed Logan towards his room and couldn't help but notice how much was still the same as it was in her childhood; she looked around and remembered when she and her mother had sold Bob's espresso machine so Gene could go to camp after all was said and done they ended up playing baseball in a field with a homeless man and a fraud. Gene still hit that goddamn ball though. She smirked at the horror on her father's face when he drove up to see Gene beating a soda machine with a bat, she really had an amazing childhood but that was only because her dad was her best friend.

She tried to push the memories out of her head as she started tearing up she shook her head trying to compose herself before Logan noticed, he already pitied her enough without seeing her spontaneously burst into tears. She would never admit to anyone how often that happened these days, after months of being alone with the stress of an entire family and business on her shoulders it seemed like these days the only way to let off steam was to lock herself in her bedroom and cry herself to sleep. Her family showing up honestly couldn't have come at a better time because everything was starting to be way too much for her, even the strongest people break at times. Once they finally reached his room Louise realized that she was emotionally and physically exhausted after the past few days, she quickly took in his room and settled into a slightly lumpy chair by the bed. Neither of them really knew what to say as they stared at each other uncomfortably, the silence was thick as Logan jumped up, held up a finger, and walked to the closet where he pulled out Louise's jacket and cigarette. He smiled at her as they each pulled out one and lit them.

After a while he couldn't take it anymore and finally broke the silence. "Alright Lou here's the deal, we're adults and neither of us have time for bullshit. I'd really like to lay out what I'm thinking or feeling or what the fuck ever and what exactly I want and then let you decide from there. Does that sound okay?"

Louise stared at him for a second, she wasn't used to seeing him so intense and mature and honestly she liked it. He was right, she didn't have time for bullshit so she simply looked at him, smirked, and nodded.

"I like you Louise, I think I may love you but I don't wanna fuck with your head like that until I'm absolutely sure. I've felt this way since before I left, that's one of my biggest regrets in my life, I should have never left. I should have just moved into the basement and stayed with you like you asked me to that night. I know you don't have a lot of time right now but for lack of a better phrase I'd really like to date you and if you don't want that to then that's okay but I still want you to be my best friend. No matter what it is that you want I want to be around the restaurant, not just to help you but to help Bob. He was such a big influence in my life and I feel like I owe him a lot. I really want to be there for both of you." He took a deep breath as he finished and watched Louise waiting on some sort of reaction.

She sat absorbing everything that Logan had said to her, her first thought was that it was a lot to take in and a surprise but after a few seconds she realized that it really wasn't, she had seen it coming for a while and she was pretty sure that she might feel the same way. She decided to take a plunge and just follow her gut like she was a train hopping kid again. She closed her eyes as she leapt towards Logan in the other chair and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and they stayed like that for a few minutes before Logan just couldn't take the anticipation anymore. "Okay so I enjoyed that more than you could ever know but you are you so I have no clue which answer that is."

They both started laughing as Louise set herself back up right, she wasn't sure of much and she sure as hell wasn't sure of this but she did have some ideas that could piss of a few people. "Logan I honestly don't know what I think about all of this, I like you a lot I'm just so scared that a relationship would kill our friendship. I don't know, I mean I guess we could try though, maybe just casually? No intense shit?"

He didn't have to think long before he smiled at her and nodded, all he wanted was for her to accept him in some way and she had. As he was about to pull her into a kiss she held her hand up to stop him.

"There's more Bush."

He chuckled as she jabbed him in the side with her elbow, it may have hurt but it was good to see Louise having fun again. "What else is there four-ears?"

"Well I actually really could use help at the restaurant, I know that Gene and Tina are coming in but they don't know my systems or well anything, and I'm afraid that we'll drown again. So here's my proposition: you at least half ass know the system and you've gotta get out of this motel. Come back work in the restaurant and stay in the basement again. It's a win-win."

Logan smiled and nodded as he pulled her into a kiss. They sat around the motel for a few more hours, they watched TV and teased each other and laid on the bed with each other cuddling and kissing. Finally around sunset Louise got a text from Tina that she was on her way to the restaurant and that she had a surprise for everyone. It peaked both of their interests so they decide to head towards Oceanside, it was quite a walk but it was nice to see the sunset over the Ocean. They were about halfway there and had been holding hands and making small talk when Louise saw her sister's car pull up in front of her and park on the side of the road.

Louise slowed down a bit as she saw the passenger door open, she was curious as to who would be with Tina that was a surprise. Finally she saw none other than her dad's best friend Warren Fitzgerald step out of the car, in a rare moment of vulnerability Louise dropped Logan's hand and ran up to hug Warren which threw everyone off guard. While she and Warren got along marvelously it had been a couple of years since he had been around and Louise wasn't one to show affection.

"Warren it's so good to see you." Louise backed away and stood by Logan slightly embarrassed by her lapse her defenses. Logan reached out and shook Warren's hand they had briefly met when Louise was younger but they had never gotten to know each other well.

"Hey Louise, I ran into Tina in New York and she filled me in on Bob's condition. I'm down here to see if there's anything I can do to help, I don't care what it is don't sugarcoat just let me know." He smiled slightly and Louise wasn't really sure what to say.

"That's so nice I'm sorry, I really tried to get a hold of you when dad got sick but none of your numbers would go through." That was one thing that Louise consistently kicked herself for, she knew that Warren would have wanted to know as soon as they found out and she knew how happy Bob would be to see him, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't find him.

"Well actually Louise that would be my fault. I took my jet up to vacation in Nepal and decided to move into a monastery with some Buddhist monks and man they just don't like technology up there." Louise couldn't help but laugh, Warren was always spending his money on something crazy or doing something most people never would. This was no exception. "Alright Louise, let's go sit and talk just the two of us. I want to know what's going on."

They walked over to a sitting area at the park and Louise decided not to hold anything back when she talked to Warren she knew that she needed help because as stubborn as she was if she didn't do something soon her dad was going to lose the restaurant and she didn't think that he would be able to properly heal if he lost his dream. Louise outlined to Warren about all the breaks Fischoeder was giving her and that she couldn't keep their heads above water let alone keep enough food in the freezer. She was doing anything she could just to keep the lights on. She told him about paying out of pocket for all of Bob's treatments and everything else. One thing she was happy to report was that after months and months of being the only one in charge she was finally getting some help in the place.

Warren sat quietly taking it all in obviously in deep thought. Finally he took a deep breath, stood up, and started pacing. Louise wasn't exactly sure what to thing or what was going through his head and the suspense was killing her. Right as she was about to attempt to rush Warren along he sat back down with a smile on his face.

"Alright Louise, I've made my decision and I'm not going to change my mind on it. I told your dad years ago that I wanted to invest not just in his restaurant but in him and that's just what I'm going to do. I'm taking over Bob's treatments and making sure he gets the best and I'm going to give the restaurant a boost to get out of debt so you can start getting ahead. I told you all that this place was going to be a goldmine and I'm not going to let it go down right as it's getting good, more than that I'm not going to sit by and let my best friend suffer while I'm able to help"

Louise sat there staring at Warren with a blank face, she was in complete shock, her first instinct was to tell Warrant to get real because no one could do that; she was fully aware though that if any person could then it would be him. She had spent all this time fighting and it felt like she had done it all alone and worked so hard just to fail. She couldn't turn this down or argue, she was so overwhelmed that she did the unthinkable - she broke down and started to cry. Warren wrapped his arm around her but didn't say anything and soon enough she heard footsteps and looked up to see Logan and Tina. From the looks on their faces Tina already knew what was going on and had filled in Logan she stood up and gave them both hugs finally Warren stood up.

"Alright let's get down to the restaurant there's a man there that needs a glass of water dumped on his head." They all laughed as they started towards the car, they stayed quite the few minutes it took to get to the restaurant while Louise worked to compose herself.


	11. Chapter 10

They parked a couple of blocks away and walked down Ocean Avenue towards Bob's Burgers, Louise could tell even from a distance away that the dining room was dark and she was instantly concerned, they should have been open for at least a few more hours. Her mind was racing as she started jogging down the sidewalk, the restaurant was locked up tight so she ran upstairs to find Linda sitting on the couch with Bob nowhere in sight.

"Hey you guys closed early, is everything okay? Where's dad?" Louise was highly concerned as she glanced all over the room.

Linda gave her a small grin, Louise's sudden tendency to show concern and compassion made Linda feel so happy. "He's fine sweetie it's just that all the excitement wore him out so I sent him up to bed. I was thinking about opening back up once you kids got here and staying open late to make up the money."

Louise didn't say anything as she looked around the room and saw the billing ledgers scattered throughout the room and she instantly put her head down in shame, she thought she had thoroughly hidden them but there they were. She had worked so hard to make sure they didn't find out what kind of trouble they were in, she didn't want them to know that she couldn't take care of the place.

"Why didn't you tell me we were so bad off Louise? I could have helped." Linda stood up and held her hand out halfway between them trying to decide if it would be okay to touch Louise or not.

Louise threw her head back and let out an exasperated sigh as she started pacing. "Why would I tell you mom? Why would I tell you that I'm a failure at running the business? That I can barely keep us up and going. Why would I want you to know that I let the dream fall apart?"

Louise put her head in her hands as she felt Linda wrap her arms around her. "I don't want to hear any more of that Miss Missy you are not a failure. Nobody could have prevented this," Linda looked down at Louise and lightly touched her face as she realized they both had tears falling down their face "if anything Louise you are the only reason we still have this business and this house, you're the reason that all of this has stayed as well as it has. You've succeeded more than any of us would have."

Louise smiled at her mother the words genuinely touched her heart and comforted her. They both heard a light sniffle across the room and saw Tina, Logan, and Warren all standing at the stairs each one of them had tears in their eyes at what they had seen. Linda's eyes grew wide as she ran up and hugged Warren.

"Mom I brought all of you a surprise." Tina said as her voice broke a bit.

Warren put a hand on Linda's shoulder and gestured towards the kitchen, "let's go talk Lin." With that they both sat down at the table, Tina took off to her old bedroom, and Logan stood there with his eyes locked on Louise.

"I knew you were feeling bad Louise, I had no idea that you felt that down though." Without another word he pulled her close to him and hugged her as tight as he could.

After a while Louise looked up at him with a smile on her face, "Let's go pack your shit up Logan, time to come home."

They borrowed Tina's car and made their way back to the Sand Flea, as they entered the room Louise realized once again that this had been an exhausting day. She sent a quick message to Gene making sure they were all going to be there to open the restaurant. "I know you want out of here but do you think we could stay here tonight? I'm so fucking tired."

Logan raised a quick eyebrow and nodded to her, they sat down on the bed and started watching TV again. The rest of the day was fairly nice as they ordered Chinese food to the room and spent the evening holding each other and talking. Once they decided to settle in for bed Louise borrowed a shirt from Logan and sunk as deep as she could under the blanket, she didn't know that a bed could feel as good as it did, she suspected that it was just because of how tired she was. Logan slipped into bed beside her and wrapped his arm around her as he spooned her from behind, she felt so right and safe there with him she almost immediately drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were filled with visions of happiness, her healthy father, and Logan by her side.

She woke up lying on her back, the blanket in the floor and dripping in sweat, apparently for all the improvements that the motel had made they still had shit air conditioning. She was glad she wasn't shy and had opted to simply sleep in Logan's shirt and her underwear. Her hair was scattered all over the place and sticking to every piece of skin it touched, all of a sudden she remembered that Logan was next to her. She glanced over and saw that he was wide away lying on his side just staring at her, she immediately flushed red. "What are you looking at?" She asked teasingly as she turned onto her side.

He smiled at her before he answered, "You. You look absolutely fucking beautiful when you're sleeping." He leaned forward and gave her a soft kiss.

"I think you're losing your mind." She bit her lip as she reached forward and held his hand, he couldn't believe that he had actually gotten her to say yes to him, that he was actually lying in bed next to her able to say that she was his.

"I lost my mind the day I met you Louise."

She couldn't stop staring at him and became totally aware that he was next to her wearing nothing but boxers. She reached forward and ran her hand over his chest, she had never really seen him like this before and she really liked it. She wasn't sure exactly what she was thinking but her guy had never let her down before, she scooted closer to him and kissed him hard.

Her action took Logan off guard, he was pretty sure he knew where she was going with it but he couldn't be completely sure so he proceeded with caution. He matched her kiss with the same fervor she gave as he gently placed his hand on her hip. He wasn't sure exactly where she was going with it but he was having issues containing himself, he had wanted to be with her for years and it seemed like it was actually happening. She scooted closer to him as they kissed until she was pressed as close to him as she could get and he wrapped his arms around her waist, as she wrapped her hands in his hair he shifted slightly on top of her and started sliding his hand up her shirt.

All of a sudden Louise started pushing him away from her, he immediately stopped and sat up breathless. "I'm sorry Lou, I thought you wanted to. I'm really sorry."

She smirked at him and started blushing as she realized it was time to explain something to him. "Well I do want to Logan, it's just, um well…"

Logan was curious what she was trying to say and grabbed her hand to encourage her. She smiled at him and continued. "Well I've never done this before."

Logan's eyes widened he couldn't deny that he was surprised, she always portrayed herself as so experienced that he thought she had been active for years. "Really?"

"Um well yeah, is that a problem?" Louise felt panic creeping up on her, she had just managed to get together with Logan and didn't want it ruined in one night all because she was a virgin.

"No it's not a problem I'm just surprised is all, you always acted so, well experienced." He pulled her back over to him and wrapped his arm around her.

"Well I felt like I had to be because you were so much older than me, I mean I had opportunities but I was always a little too preoccupied with you to really put any interest in any of them." She hid her face in his chest to hide her embarrassment.

"Ahh so you have been pining after me all these years." He laughed as he kissed the top of her head and felt her jab him in the gut. "We'll only go as fast as you want to Louise, I promise. Now it's like four in the morning, so do you want to go back to sleep?"

Louise smiled up at Logan as she laid back down and in a moment of split decision she slowly pulled him on top of her and kissed him. She wasn't exactly sure what she was doing but she felt pretty sure of it, she had thought about it for years she had read about it and knew all the basic principles. She knew the more sorted details from the kids that she went to school with. What she really knew though was that she was certain she wanted to do this with Logan.

He reached up and caressed her face as he kissed her back hard, it quickly heated up this time. She reached down and slid him out of his underwear and he did the same to her. It seemed like they were both pretty content at that point to skip the extra stuff and jump right to the actual sex. He slowly slid himself into her, he hadn't been with a ton of women but he knew that none of the one's he had been with were virgins so he was taking extra care with Louise, he wanted it to be as painless as possible. He couldn't believe how amazing she felt. She couldn't believe that she had waited so long to do this, it felt amazing, she wrapped her legs around him and dug her nails into his back as he actually found a rhythm. They were staring into each other's eyes as Louise felt her finish start to build up and Logan did as well, he watched as she closed her eyes and moaned louder and louder, Logan barely managed to pull himself out of her before he finished, and was more than happy that she had finished at the same time.

He scooted off her feeling happier than he had in a long time, he was about to talk to her when he realized that she had already fallen fast asleep. He wrapped his arms around her and fell into his own peaceful sleep.


End file.
